Diablo Ninebark vs Japanese Quince - TreeTime.ca

Diablo Ninebark vs Japanese Quince

Physocarpus opulifolius Diablo

Chaenomeles japonica

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Diablo Ninebark
Japanese Quince

Diablo Ninebark is a small, low maintenance, multi-stemmed shrub, that is used to add texture or color to any yard. This plant grows dark purple leaves in the spring and grows slightly faster than Common Ninebark. It features flaky red to brown bark, clusters of white flowers, and long, maple-like leaves. Diablo Ninebark can make a dense and colorful hedge, or it can be an attractive ornamental by itself.

Japanese Quince has bright, orange to red showy flowers that bloom in early spring. The flowers appear before the leaves and may continue to bloom after leaves emerge. Flowers grow on old wood, so pruning after flowering will help to promote new growth next spring. They produce yellow-green fruit that taste bitter when eaten raw, typically they are better suited for making preserves.

It can be used as a stand alone ornamental shrub, as a low hedge, or can be trained to grow against a wall. In late winter, branches of Japanese Quince can be cut and brought indoors where they will bloom on their own. They are deer and rabbit tolerant. The branches are spiny making them well suited for keeping unwanted wildlife away.

Diablo Ninebark Quick Facts

Japanese Quince Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: reddish-purple
Fall colour: yellow
Bark: brown to red, exfoliating
Flowers: white
Flowers: showy, red-orange
Fruit: greenish yellow
Berries: red
Flavor: bitter
Harvest: fall
Seeds: inflated seed capsules
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: eastern ninebark, purple ninebark
Other Names: flowering quince, maules quince